Effective Meetings: 6 Tips for Making the Most of Your Time

Everyone wants to run productive and effective meetings. The problem is that
a meeting is a double-edge sword. It can be a great way to share information
or engage in participatory group planning if run correctly. They can also
be a massive waste of time if not. How can you ensure that you are planning
effective meetings? Try a few of these tips…

Running Effective Meetings Tip #1: Choose Your Meetings Wisely

Some people’s knee-jerk reaction to a problem is “Let’s have a meeting!”
But face-to-face meetings are time-consuming, and there may be another more
effective way to handle the situation. Ask yourself the following questions
before choosing to meet:

If you need to disseminate information, could you do it with a memo or
report?

If you want to engage in a dialogue, can you set up a phone conference?

If you are trying to brainstorm a decision, may participants submit their
ideas in writing?

If a meeting will most efficiently accomplish your goals, great – have one!
Otherwise, look to the alternatives.

Running Effective Meetings Tip #2: Select Your Audience

It’s also important to make sure that the people who attend your meeting:

need to be there

can contribute meaningfully to the discussion.

Let’s assume that you are going to have a budget meeting. You should ask
the following questions to make sure that this is an effective meeting:

Does your entire organization have to gather to set your annual budget?

Would you accomplish more if you invited a select group of participants
who are most directly involved in financial planning?

Do you need to meet separately with every department team leader?

Could you consolidate these individual appointments into one group assembly
to save time?

After answering these questions you should be better equipped to decide how
to run the meeting and who needs to be involved.

Running Effective Meetings Tip #3: Plan Ahead

As they say in football, the best defense is a good offense. This is also
true with meetings. Try to avoid “impromptu” gatherings – you’ll get better
results if you plan in advance. This gives participants ample opportunity
to clear their schedule and prepare mentally for the task at hand.

You should ask attendees for any discussion items a week prior to meeting
and send out the completed agenda 2-3 days before the event so that everyone
can review it.

Running Effective Meetings Tip #4: Start on Time

One of the biggest challenges for any meeting is controlling how long it
takes. Be clear up front about the start time, and don’t wait for stragglers.
Think about convening at an odd time – people are more likely to arrive promptly
for a meeting that begins at 3:42PM instead of 4PM. Also avoid asking people
to gather on Monday mornings or Friday afternoons – you almost guarantee attendees
will be running late and low on energy.

Running Effective Meetings Tip #5: End on Time

In order to end a meeting on time, you must:

know exactly what topics you plan to cover

allot a set amount of time for each issue

have a method for keeping participants on track

Use your agenda and minutes to guide the discussion. Assign a timekeeper
to signal each move to the next agenda item. You can either control the discussion
or it will control your meeting.

Limit the time each person is given to talk, don’t be afraid to cut someone
off if needed, and keep things moving from debate toward action. Running effective
meetings requires rules, boundary lines and someone who is willing to enforce
them.

Running Effective Meetings Tip #6: Be a Good Meeting Participant

The responsibility of running effective meetings does not lie entirely with
its planners. It is also up to you, as a participant, to help the meeting
along. Prepare in advance by:

reviewing the agenda

writing down any questions or issues you want to bring up

collecting all of your materials together in a single folder or project
file

If you have a lot of material, subdivide it onto categories in a classification
folder. That way you can get to information quickly in the meeting. Confirm
the meeting time before leaving and plan to be 5 minutes early so you can
settle in.

Always bring a pad and pen so you can take your own notes (never rely just
on the meeting minutes!) Take time at the end of the meeting to clarify any
assignments you have accepted, their deadlines, and the method of reporting
back. If you follow these simple guidelines you will be well on your way to
running more effective meetings.